YPSILANTI, MICHIGANWe played a house show in the house where we are living. It was supposed to be outside but the wind blew and the sky looked like rain. Eric had to move the whole set up inside and I had to move my recently constructed office / bedroom into another room of the house while the whole party watched. Books. Jools the penguin. A photograph of my father running track. A bag of clothes. Notebooks. Recording equipment. It was a sad sight for the strangers.

Kacey and Tim were there though. Tim and I had talked in the kitchen and ate dinner together before the guests arrived. He was calm, measured, and friendly. Later Kacey video taped while Eric and I played. I thought we played well even though Eric was uncomfortable due to all the evening's shifting parts. I didn't talk much to the small audience. The hyper alert, slightly feral eyes belonging to someone seated on the couch I could see out of the corner of my right eye suggested a conservative strategy.

So I said "this song is a harmonization of the E major scale" and "once I bought a wooden spoon" and that's about all. Kacey Johansing w/ Tim (formerly of Tall Tales and the Silver Lining) played great after us, and last was the local band Shuttershop a duo with the founding member singing through a desk lamp microphone, playing tiny keyboards, drum machines, musical saw and a trumpet, while his bandmate played banjo guitar. I enjoyed them very much. It reminded me of Ara Anderson, early in my San Francisco time many years ago. After the show I spoke with Kacey about where she was staying on a lake to the north. Erica and I promised to come see her and Tim play Wednesday in Detroit. Later when all the guests were gone, Eric and I sat at the picnic table underneath the tree in the backyard talking.